title: p73: a multifunctional protein in neurobiology.
abstract: p73, a transcription factor of the p53 family, plays a key role in many biological processes including neuronal development. Indeed, mice deficient for both TAp73 and ΔNp73 isoforms display neuronal pathologies, including hydrocephalus and hippocampal dysgenesis, with defects in the CA1-CA3 pyramidal cell layers and the dentate gyrus. TAp73 expression increases in parallel with neuronal differentiation and its ectopic expression induces neurite outgrowth and expression of neuronal markers in neuroblastoma cell lines and neural stem cells, suggesting that it has a pro-differentiation role. In contrast, ΔNp73 shows a survival function in mature cortical neurons as selective ΔNp73 null mice have reduced cortical thickness. Recent evidence has also suggested that p73 isoforms are deregulated in neurodegenerative pathologies such as Alzheimer's disease, with abnormal tau phosphorylation. Thus, in addition to its increasingly accepted contribution to tumorigenesis, the p73 subfamily also plays a role in neuronal development and neurodegeneration.
authors.affiliation: King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Old Age Psychiatry and Dementia, London, SE5 8AF, UK.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Killick
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Niklison-Chirou
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tomasini
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bano
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rufini
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Grespi
authors.forename: Tania
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Velletri
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tucci
authors.forename: Berna S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Sayan
authors.forename: Franco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Conforti
authors.forename: Ewen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gallagher
authors.forename: Pierluigi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nicotera
authors.forename: Tak W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Mak
authors.forename: Gerry
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Melino
authors.forename: Richard A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Knight
authors.forename: Massimiliano
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Agostini
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D009410:Nerve Degeneration / Q000378:metabolism; D009420:Nervous System / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology; D000072160:Tumor Protein p73; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; C000606460:TP73 protein, human; C000606368:Trp73 protein, mouse; D000072160:Tumor Protein p73; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins; C000606369:delta Np73 protein, human